David's Plea

Camp Creek State Park

This is a reposting of something I wrote in 2006.  Psalm 51 is traditionally attributed to David, written after he realizes his sin with Bathsheba.  It seems appropriate on Ash Wednesday.  

Please, father, have mercy.
I know you love me;
May you remember your love
You compassion,
And forget my sin.

I pray your love will be so large
That it will wash away my sins,
As huge as they are.
I know I have sinned.
I know I have disappointed you.
My sins are like a pile of garbage,
Impossible to miss.

I know I have disappointed you,
Done what you have told me was wrong.
You have every right to shine a light on my wrongdoings,
And to judge my faults.

I can't remember a time when I didn't sin.
My mistakes, my faults and my selfishness
Have been with me forever.

Transform me, Father.
Make me clean, from the inside out.
I have faith that you, and you alone,
Can take away the darkness in my soul.
I long to hear joy and gladness.
My crushed spirit begs to feel happiness.

Make my sins invisible,
And hide my wrongdoings.
Recreate me, God,
So that my heart beats for you,
And my spirit can fly on your wings.

Do not send me away from you,
I would die without your Holy Spirit.
Restore in me the joy of my salvation.
I have lost faith that you can save me
As I stand in the shadow of my sin.

If you can help me, Father,
I will have the courage to teach others of your glory.
I will have the means to convince others
Of your goodness.
I will sing your praises forever.

If I knew another way, dear God,
I would do it.
If forgiveness were in my power,
I would reach for it.
It lies only with you, God
I pray you will accept my repentance.
I pray you will find gladness in saving me.
My only hope is that you will forgive me.
 

What does the Lord require?

Loosely inspired by Psalm 15 and Micah 6:8

O Lord, 

who can live with you?

Who can approach - be close - 

Who can stand with you?

Give us the strength to obey 

To live a life you require of us. 

To do what is right. 

To speak the truth from a 

 new heart.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

Help us to not lie about others 

Guide us as we seek to do no evil 

 to friends, to enemies. 

Shame us if we embarrass others.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

Give us eyes like yours, 

Eyes that see beyond the sin of others 

Even through our own sin, 

May we honor our neighbors 

May we stand for the truth, 

even when it has consequences.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

You desire that we do not 

take advantage of others, 

that we lift up the oppressed, 

that we do not deal with others with dishonesty. 

Give us this strength.

What does the Lord require? 

To do justice 

To love kindness 

To walk humbly.

And, o Lord, grant us grace when we fail. 

Give us courage to try again.

 

Lamps

My husband is Lighting Certified. He spends his work days designing lighting plans, creating images of how light will change a space. He likes to say that the purpose of lighting is to provide light - to illuminate the space for the work that needs to be done.

I think when we think of lighting, we expect the light to make it possible to see - not just right in front of us, but far from us. Lighting provides us with confidence that we know where we are going.

Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is lamp to my feet and a light to my path." 

What image does that verse create in your mind? I think of a well-lighted path, with the way for us to go visible for a long distance. I apply my expectation of lighting to it.  During Advent, I read Voices of Advent by Matthew L. Skinner. He says, "I used to work with an Old Testament scholar who once preached a memorable sermon on psalm 119:1-5. He explained that lamps in the ancient world were little wicks hanging out of shallow bowls of oil, with each one producing a tiny, flickering flame.  If God or Scripture lights our path like that...then we shouldn't expect to perceive what's ahead of us in the dead of night by more than a few inches. The psalm says we go one step at a time."

God is with us, and we go one step at a time.

Amy Grants song, Thy Word is a Lamp Unto my Feet offers new wisdom to  me in the "light" (haha) of this passage from Skinner.

When I feel afraid, 

think I've lost my way, 

Still You're there right beside me. 

And nothing will I fear 

as long as You are near; 

Please be near me to the end.

Liturgy for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Theme and Scripture 

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19: God is a God of restoration and forgiveness. 

 

Call to Worship 

Leader: O God, our God, so much about our lives needs to be restored. Sometimes the darkness feels overwhelming. 

People: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. 

Leader: We come together today in worship, to sing our praise, to open our hearts. 

People: Restore us, O God; hear our praise, renew our hearts. 

Leader: We bring our offerings, we sing of the coming of the Lord. 

People: Restore us, O God; inhabit our worship and give us life. 

All: Restore us, O God. 

 

Prayer of Confession 

Heavenly creator, sustaining Lord, we fail to see the need of our neighbors or to hear their crying, to know their tears. Sometimes all they feel from us is our scorn or our indifference. We welcome Jesus into this sanctuary, and hope he will inhabit our lives. Help us to confess our sins. Forgive our indifference and our complacency. May your presence in our lives change our hearts. Give us life.  In your son's name, Amen. 

 

Offertory Prayer 

Loving God, may these gifts we offer today be gifts of restoration, shining your light into dark places. Accept these gifts and make them be for your children food, water, shelter, health, and signs of your love of them. Amen. 

I am your God

Inspired by Psalm 46.

I am your God.

Take shelter in me.

Gather strength from me.

I will help you when you are in trouble.

I am your God.

You are mine.

Don't be afraid,

even when the foundations of your world are shaken,

even when everything is changing,

even when it feels like the mountains and the sea are slipping away,

Don't be afraid

I am your God

You are mine. I love you.

The rivers flow to my creation,

I live in the cities,

I live in the sunrise,

I live in the nations, even when they are in crisis.

I live here.

If you listen, you can hear my voice.

I am your God.

You are mine.

I love you.

No matter what happens.

I am with you.

Open your eyes and see what I am doing.

I bring peace.

I am your God.

You are mine.

I love you.

Stop the shouting in your mind.

Be quiet, and listen.

Know.

I am your God.

You are mine.

I will help you when you are in trouble.

Gather strength from me.

Take shelter in me.

I am your God.

 

Sovereign of the Universe

Inspired by Psalm 90:1-4

O God, our God,

Melek Ha'Olam

You are king. You are sovereign.

You reign over all that is.

Help us to understand this.

May our bones tremble with the reality.

You sit among the angels.

May the earth know this to its core.

O God, our God

Melek Ha'Olam

You are great in Zion.

You are great in all places,

over all of us.

May we lift you high.

Exalted.

O God, our God,

Melek Ha'Olam

We praise your name.

We praise you.

Awesome are you.

Holy are you.

O God, our God,

Melek Ha'Olam

You love and value justice,

Equity springs from your nature.

You brought justice and righteousness

through Jacob,

through your kingdom among us.

You have created righteousness in us.

Holy are is your name.

Holy are you.

Note: Melek Ha'Olam means King of the Universe or Sovereign of the Universe (as I understand it).

 

In the Mountains

Inspired by Psalm  125:1-5

Those who trust,

those who have faith in God

are like the mountains that surround us.

They cannot be moved

And are here forever.

As the mountains surround us

in the heart of Appalachia

so God is in our midst

surrounding us.

Now, tomorrow,

and every day to come.

Even though injustice, violence, and oppression

sneak around us,

press to have their way,

God is not separated from us.

God's will shall be done.

May we see your goodness, o God,

May we know your way.

Give us new hearts in you.

Bring us peace, O God,

and help us to be bringers of Peace.

May we all turn aside from our crooked ways,

and follow you, our God.

 

May God's Good Work be Known

The sun rises.

My heart rises in gratitude for the goodness of the Lord

May the congregation sing praises,

May God's good work be known.

God's work is full of wonder and divinity

God's goodness endures forever

Echoing through creation,

in the lives of all who know God.

God is gracious and merciful.

We open our hands for our daily bread,

We rejoice in promises kept

and witness steadfast loyalty.

We sing of God's powerful deeds,

and proclaim God's legacy across time.

What God does is faithful and just,

his law is trustworthy

through all the ages.

God redeemed the people,

commanded his covenant forever.

Holy and awesome is God.

Do you hear these words?

Do you fear the Lord?

Here is the beginning of wisdom;

here is the start of understanding.

Our song of praise lasts forever.

Inspired by Psalm 111

 

New Life

 A prayer of Confession inspired by Psalm 51:1-3, 8-12

O God, I am in need of you.

Your love and mercy are abundant

Unimaginable.

Miraculous.

Remove my sin, please, o God.

Make me clean as you created me to be

Wash me from my wrongdoings.

Only you can remove the stain.

All I can see if what I've done wrong.

It fills my vision, my heart, my life.

I have sinned against you,

I have done what is evil.

I cast down my eyes because

you are justified in not seeing me at all.

In ignoring my plea.

Open my eyes to hear your joy.

Open my heart to know your forgiveness.

Open my bones to be healed by your love.

Let me know gladness again.

Hide my sins from your sight.

Convince me that it is so.

Remove the stain of sin that has darkened my life.

Help me to start again.

Create in me a new heart,

a fresh start,

a new and right life.

Recreate me so that I am worthy

to be near you,

so that I am a righteous place

for your Holy Spirit to dwell,

so that I am not alone.

O, God,

Restore in my the assurance of salvation,

return to me the conviction of your action in my life,

so that I know you again.

Rebuild in my a willing spirit

to start new life with you.

Teach the Story

 Have you read Psalm 78 recently? Psalm 78:1-7 is one of the lectionary readings for November 12 of this year (Year A).

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.  I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.

We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.

As I'm writing this post (I write ahead of the blog), it is the Friday before the celebration of All Saints Day in our church.  I think of the people who are no longer with us who were my teachers, and I am grateful for them.

This part of Psalm 78 was written "as a summons to teach the story of God's saving deeds to the next generation " (Note from The New Interpreter's Study Bible).  I love how it starts: listen, I will tell you a story....

Who were your teachers? As we approach Thanksgiving, for whom are you thankful? How will you follow the command of the Psalm to tell the coming generation of the glorious deeds of the Lord?

Our Home

 

Inspired by Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

Oh, Lord, our God, for all of our generations,

You have been our home.

Before the mountains rose,

Before the earth was formed,

You have been our home.

From everlasting to everlasting.

You are timeless, forever.

We are bound by mortality.

Ashes to ashes.

Dust to dust.

And still,

you are our home.

Time is nothing to you.

A thousand years is the blink of an eye.

A day.

Yesterday.

The days spin past,

the years spin into nothing.

The grass is renewed every morning.

It withers every evening.

And you are God.

Everlasting to everlasting

Our home.

May every morning be filled

with your steadfast love,

so that joy fills our days.

May our children see you

and know that you are their home.

May they understand your power,

and rest in your love.

May the work we do

bring you glory.

May the work we do

be pleasing to you.

Spread your love among us,

and bless us with your presence.

God, our God.

Everlasting to everlasting.

Our home.

Merciful God

Inspired by Psalm 145: 8-14

Merciful God

God of grace.

Patient God,

Loving God.

I offer gratitude to you.

I need your mercy and your grace.

I know there are times when I should feel your anger,

and yet you are patient with me.

You love me.

You love all of us.

Even the person I steer away from.

Everything drips with your grace.

Abundantly raining down upon us all.

Your creation and your creatures offer praise.

Your people sing of your goodness and mercy,

They shout of your magnificence.

We want the world to know of your power,

your goodness,

your grace.

You are forever,

and your kingdom will not end.

You keep your promises ,

and your actions are a light to the world.

Loving God,

You lift us up when we fall,

In your patience, you encourage of to keep going.

Your generous grace overwhelms us,

and in your mercy,

we can start again.

A Litany with Psalm 16

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuse.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord: I have no good apart from you.

Oh, God, protect me from my own thoughts.

I take shelter in your love.

I say to myself, "I am nothing."

I shelter in belovedness.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup.

You hold my lot.

Oh, God, you fill me up.

You provide what I need to live a life

that gives joy - to me and to those I love.

You hold my life.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places

I have a Godly heritage.

My faith came from those who loved me.

My faith came from you,

who loved me into existence.

I have an holy and sacred heritage.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;

In the night also my heart instructs me.

In the darkness of the nights

Worry overwhelms me.

Help me to cling to you.

Instruct my heart.

I keep the Lord always before me;

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Oh, God, you are the light in the darkness.

You are ever present with me,

Even when the world rocks under my feet,

I shall not be moved because of you.

Therefore my heart if glad, and my soul rejoices;

My body also rests secure.

Oh, God, fill my heart with gladness,

and lift my soul in rejoicing.

Fill me with your grace,

so that I know the security of your spirit.

You show me the path of life.

In your presence there is fullness of joy;

In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16, various verses in italics.

Like a Frightened Bird

Like a frightened bird,
I come to you, O God,
In you, my Lord, I seek protection
From my fear.
I look for refuge.
Save me from my self-made humiliation,
Rescue me from my unrighteousness.
In your righteousness, I search for salvation.

Do you hear me, O God?

Or do my words echo off the cliffs that threaten me?

Be the foundation under my feet,

Be my fortress.

 

Like a frightened bird

I feel my wings hitting nothingness,

And I count on you to be

The might tree that supports me,

Where I make my nest.

I count on you to be the stars that guide me

Through the darkness of night.

 

I feel my wings caught in hidden traps,

Nets that threaten to throw me to the dirt.

Help me, save me from the threats I cannot see.

Offer me safety.

 

My faith is trust.

Into your hands I land.

I give you my spirit, I trust you with my life.

You have saved me from myself,

From my sin.

You are a faithful God.

 

My life in in your hands.

My time is in your hands.

I trust you,

And count on you to see me,

Your smile to light my way.

 

Save me in your steadfast love.

 

Inspired by Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16

A Litany of Confession from Psalm 40

L: We try to wait patiently, o God, and ask you to turn your ear toward us.

P: Hear our confession, and grant us peace.

L: So often we find ourselves in a pit made of our sin, a bog of our unfaithfulness.

P: Lift us up, Oh, God.  Forgive us, and set our feet on solid rock.  Make our steps secure.

L: Put a new song in our mouths, a song of praise to you.  Let those who hear us know that they can put their trust in you.

P: Help us to put our trust in you.

L: We turn from you, Oh God, and our pride stands in our way.  Idols block our paths to you.

P: Forgive us, Oh God, and bring us into your Joy

L: Amen.

Inspired by Psalm 40

 

Logos: Psalm 90:12-17

Loosely inspired by Psalm 90:12-17

Teach us, O God,

Open our eyes to the fleeing of the days.

Open our minds to the potential of our time.

Show us the work you want us to do,

and what is to be gained.

Turn your attention to us,

and see us with your eyes,

eyes of compassion,

eyes of grace and forgiveness.

When we wake in the morning, 

and your light shines through the window,

open our hearts to know your love.

Love that never stops,

Love that is loyal and unending.

Chase us with your grace 

so that we know your love

and rejoice in its glory.

During each day,

whether it brings pleasure or pain,

Suffering or joy, 

Bring us the gladness of your presence in it.

Open our lives to the work you do around us.

Make your breath clear in the breeze of the days,

and your touch apparent 

as we sit down to share a meal.

May your Spirit be the power of our lives,

and may we find you in our years.

Grant us your favor.

May the work we do for you, prosper.

May the work of our hands be pleasing to you.

Every day of our lives.

Logos - Psalm 23

When I read this Psalm, the memory that comes back most clearly for me is from over 10 years ago.  I was part of a team from our church that was serving as youth counselors.  We planned a retreat to Spring Heights for our youth and the programming for the weekend was completely centered around this Psalm.  Together, the adults and youth talked about what each line meant – we worked on memorizing it – we had the youth explore it artistically.  The youth’s insights on the Psalm were inspiring to me, but I don’t know if what we – the adults - did made any difference in the lives of the youth who went on the trip.

The Psalm says, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.”  Gary Simpson, who is the senior pastor at Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, provides a great image of this for us.  He explains that the scriptures are dripping with God’s goodness.  God is good before humans are even created.  God goes in front of us before we arrive anywhere.  The Hebrew word used in the Psalm for the word prepare is arak – and it also means “to arrange.”  So, wherever we are going, God’s goodness has gone before us, making the arrangements ahead of time – bringing light in darkness.  Preparing the place for us.  God’s mercy, according to Simpson, “is made necessary and non-negotiable soon after humans were created.”  Our sin makes God’s mercy necessary, and God moves behind us, in God’s mercy, with extravagant generosity, cleaning up the messes we make.

 So, I don’t know if the work we adult counselors did made any difference to the youth, but I do know, and I can rest in the assurance, that God went before us, and brought light and goodness into what we did, and God followed us, fixing what we did wrong, in God’s boundless mercy.

 

Logos: Psalm 62:5-12 - As the Storm Rages

Inspired by Psalm 65:5-12

As the Storm Rages

As the storm rages around me

I try to wait in silence,

My soul waits in silence

for the Lord.

In this silence

as the storm screams,

I find my hope.

As the hopelessness around me

presses in on me,

I find my hope in God.

God and only God

is solid.  

Foundation.

Salvation.

God is my fortress.

In this safety, I will not be shaken

In this quiet, as I sit in silence,

I wait for God.

I find God.

I find hope.

I find refuge.

What we value,

riches, power, selfishness,

are but a breath,

fleeting.

Do not put confidence in them.

Do not fill your heart with them.

Listen.

God has spoken, and God speaks.

Remember.

The power belongs to God.

Steadfast love flows from God.

And this is the grace God gives to us.

 

Silent Song

Silent Song

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever...

But,

We're not supposed to sing.

Our sanctuaries are quiet,

either because we are not there,

or because so few of us can be there,

and those who are there cannot sing.

And yet,

We know of your steadfast love, O God,

and our silence is evidence

that we love our neighbor.

Our absence is our witness

that your love has changed us.

Forever.

With my mouth, I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

But,

Our mouths are covered by masks,

and we are not with each other.

How can we proclaim your faithfulness

to our empty rooms?

And yet,

We know of your faithfulness, O God,

Our masks are evidence of the faithfulness

you show to us and teach us.

We stand apart, with the trust that your faithfulness

will take what we can offer

and change it to proclamations of your love.

To all generations.

I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;

your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

Your children declare it with their masks,

with their distance,

with their absence.

They declare it through Zoom, and the telephone.

They proclaim with their donations to feed people

and with their smiling eyes at the store.

They tell of your love

with silenced song,

with virtual teaching,

with online worship,

and with missed communion.

And best of all, God is with us.

Inspired by Psalm 89:1-2

 

I waited

Loosely inspired by Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the Lord.

Well, sort of.  Kind of.

I waited for the Lord because I had no other choice.

Thankfully, the Lord noticed, and listened to me.

God lifted me up.

It wasn't easy.

The mud clung to my feet.

I was stuck, but God

lifted me up,

God stood me on solid ground.

Secure ground.

I confess, my words were not grace-filled.

God put a new song in my mouth.

And I praised God..

The taste of my words were much more pleasing

to both of us.

I pray others will hear this song

and learn to trust in God.

With God's new song,

With my feet on a firm foundation

My heart has changed.

I want to do the work God has given me.

I want to follow God's leading.

It is joy to hear my call.

Now I tell those around me the Good News

News of deliverance and grace.

News of salvation.

Now it's hard for me to stop talking

when before my words were dust.

I pray those who hear me,

those who see me,

will see my new heart,

and know God has changed me.

and know God has done this,

and know God brings salvation

for me and for them.

Thank you, God, for your mercy,

for your steadfast love,

for you faithfulness.

Forever.